Apparatus for conveyer lubrication



Oct. 10, 1950 w. F. WEBER 2,525,327

APPARATUS Fon coNvEYER LUBRIcAnoN Filed March .14, 1947 v 4 sheets-snm 1 zaerzax i Oct. l0, 1950 w. F. WEBER 2,525,327

` y APPARATUS FOR CONVEYIEJR` LUBRICATZICQN i I Filed March 14, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ke l Oct. 10, 1950 w. F. WEBER. 2,525,327

APPARATUS FOR CONVEYER LUBRICATION Filed March 14, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet Z5 a "M f.

Oct. l0, 1950 'w. F. WEBER APPARATus'FoR comma LUBRIcATIoN Filed March 14. 1947 @5y @auf Patented Oct. 10, 1950 APPARATUS FOR CONVEYER LUBRICATION William F. Weber, Chicago. Ill., assignor to Armour and Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application March 14, 1947, Serial No. 734,837

Z Claims. l

This invention relates to apparatus for metal treatment. It is particularly useful in connection with the treatment of trolleys, metal gambrels, and other apparatus used for supportin and conveying meat.

In packing house operations, meat, etc., is normally carried upon trolleys mounted upon tracks, and, since the meat is suspended below the trolleys, the problem of lubricating the trolleys without iniury to the meat, and further the problem of enabling workmen to handle the trolleys without causing lubricant to cling to their. hands, are serious problems and problems which have not been solved up to this time.

The common practice is to tumble the trolleys, gambrels, etc., in a revolving steel cylinder with leather Endings, sawdust, or cleaning compound, and then to coat the trolleys, etc., with oil. Under the vibrations to which the trolleys are subjected at times, and also under temperature changes, drops of oil fall from the trolleys and Vonto the meat. Furthermore, workmen handling the equipment get their hands oily and, when they later handle meat, often contaminate the meat and thus produce further loss. A slight drop of oil on a piece of meat causes the piece to be rejected when the same is inspected, and before the piece is passed on inspection a large chunk of meat greaterA than the spot covered by oil has to be removed, thus producing waste, expense, and a marring of the meat portion.

An object of the present invention is to overcome the above disadvantages and to provide effective apparatus in which the trolleys and other equipment are provided with lubrication,

while at the same time preventing the possibility of lubricant being transferred to the meat. Yet another object is to provide apparatus of simple and highly eiective construction for handling trolleys for ready immersion in a lubricant bath for the effective lubrication thereof without any tendency of the lubricant to fall off. l Still another object is to provide improved means whereby trolleys can be conveyed upon a segmental track and immersed ina heated wax bath while providing a safeguard against the injury of employees in the plant and'aga'inst the splashing of the molten wax. Other specific objects and advantages will appear as the specification proceeds.- l

The invention is illustrated, in specic embodiments, by the accompanying drawings', in which Figure l is a side View in elevation of apparatus embodying my invention, the trolleysupporting mechanism being shown free of guiding mechanism; Fig. 2, a top plan View; Fig. 3, an end view in elevation and partly in section; Fig. 4, a broken front view in elevation of the segmental track support; Fig. 5, a broken perspective view of the hoist control device; Fig. 6, a side view in elevation of the elevator or segmental track device; Fig. '7, a perspective view of the elevating or segmental track device; and Fig. 8, a side view in elevation of a trolley tree adapted to be supported upon the segmental track and to carry a plurality of gambrels, trolleys, etc., for lubrication.

In the illustration given, I0 designates a tank adapted to receive molten wax and provided with steam coils II for maintaining the wax mixture at the desired temperature.

Extending laterally from the tank I0 is an inclined drain chute I2 adapted to receive the wax dripping from the immersed trolleys or gambrels and to direct it back into the tank I0. A guard Wall I3 is provided along one side and a rear guard wall I4 is provided along the other side so as to prevent splashing of the hot liquid as it drips from the trolleys or gambrels. A pair of blowers I5 is supported along one side of the compartment I2 so as to cool the material.

Extending on one side of the tank I0 and partly over the same is a fixed track I6. A similar fixed track I1 extends from the other side of tank I0 over the drip compartment I 2. The tracks I6 and I1 may be supported in any suitable manner from the stationary structure of the building. As illustrated best in Fig. 3, the track II may be supported by a bracket structure I8 which maintains the track at one side of the supporting structure I8. A brace I9 connected to the structure I8 reinforces the guard structure I3. e

Extending between the tracks I 6 and I'I is a segmental track portion 29, and the track at each end is provided with a U-shaped coupling member 2l open at its top and adapted to provide a connection with the adjacent xed track when the segmental track 2 is brought into alignment therewith. Tracks I6 and Il are so mounted asto permit a slight amount of upward movement as the segmented portion 2D comes rup against them. The segmental track 2li is Supported by a frame 22, as shown more clearly in Fig. '7. The frame 22 consists of an upper beamy 23 having metal loops 24 at each end thereof. and the beam 23 is provided with depending metal straps 25.' The beam 23 has spaced depending straps 23a supporting the track 20, as shown in Fig. 6. The frame 22 is also provided with laterally-extending beams 26 welded to guide sleeves 21 receiving vertical guide posts 28. By this means, the track 2D is prevented from tilting or swinging when the same is raised and lowered.

In the illustration given, an I-beam 29 is supported by the plant structure and has its lowermost anges secured to a stationary frame 30. The frame 3D carries the xed guide posts 28 and also provides a pair of transverse plates 3|.

In the frame 3U, as shown best in Fig. 4, a shaft 32 is mounted, and upon the ends of the shaft are rotatably supported the pulleys 33.

Any suitable means for raising and lowering the segmental track 20 may be employed. In the illustration given, I provide upon a frame 34 a motor 35 and a cable drum 36 driven by said motor through reduction gears. The drum 36 carries a cable 31 which extends upwardly over the pulley 38 and thence about a second pulley 39 The end of the cable 31 is connected to an I-bolt 40 secured to the I-beam 4|, as shown best in Fig. 1. The pulley 3S is carried within a V-shaped bracket 42 and through the ends of the bracket 42 eX- tend the cables 43. The cables 43 extend over the pulleys 33 and are connected to the metal loops 24 of the beam 23.

In order to secure the trolley tree which is to be moved downwardly into the molten bath firmly upon the track 20, I provide a locking member 44 having arms 45 adapted to extend inwardly and engage the outer ends of the trolley arm. The member 44 is pivotally mounted upon ears 46, as sown best in Fig. '1, and secured to the upper end of the member 44 is an actuating arm 41 having a curved upper end portion 48 adapted to engage one of the plates 3|. The spring 49 tends to draw the arm 41 outwardly when the curved upper end 48 of arm 41 is released from engagement with the plate 3|. Any number of the locking members 44 may be emploved to take care of the number of trolleys carried upon the segmental track 29.

Should the cable break and the structure 22 drop into the molten bath below, the molten bath would be thrown about the plant floor and would present a serious danger to employees. As a means for preventingr such a disaster, I provide pivoted catches 50 having hooks 5| at their lower ends adapted to engage tbe underside of the beam 23. The catches 50, as shown best in Fig. '7, are connected by a bar 52 to which is secured a chain or cable 53. Thus, the catch 50 can be manually actuated to retract the same when it is desired to allow the segmental track 20 to be lowered. At the same time` it automatically hooks under the beam 23 when the structure 22 is raised, as shown best in Figs. 6 and 1.

In order to control the hoist motor 35, I provide a pair of pivotally-mounted members 54 having a shaft 55 secured thereto and bearing a pulley 56. The pulley receives the cable 31. The members 54 are pi'votally mounted upon the frame members 51 and are normally urged in a forward direction by the springs 58 against the cable 31. The members 54 actuate the contact control member 59. This device is effective for shutting off the hoist should the catch not be retracted when the motor is set into operation. It will be noted that when the cable becomes slack, as under these circumstances, the members 54 will move forwardly and will break the connection with the control 59 and thus stop the motor.

Any suitable means for controlling the movement of trolleys along the tracks I6 and l1 and.

20 may be employed. In the illustration given in Fig. 3, a gate 60 is provided and the same is controlled by the chain or cable 6|.

The trolleys and gambrels to be lubricated are efficiently handled by supporting them upon a trolley tree which may be of any suitable construction. In Fig. 8, such a tree is indicated by the numeral 62. The trolley wheel 63 thereof may be moved along tracks I6 and |1 and upon l0 the segmental track 20. The tree may be provided with any number of racks 64 upon which may be suspended the trolleys, gambrels, etc., which are to be lubricated.

The molten wax or wax mixture may, if de- Sired, be circulated from the tank I0 to a filter for the removal of any foreign material therein, and the filtered material returned to the tank l0. It will be understood that any type of heating fluid may be passed through the coils for the maintenance of the desired temperature therein.

l Operation In the operation of the apparatus and process, trolleys, gambrels, etc., may be supported upon a tree, such as tree 62 equipped with a trolley wheel 63, and the same may be conveyed along the usual tracks of a packing plant to the segmental track 20, If desired, the trolleys, gam- 3) brels, etc.. may be brought by trucks to a point adjacent the segmental track 20 and there loaded upon the track I5. The tree 62 is then moved upon the segmental track 2D which is in the raised position illustrated best in Figs. 4, 6 and 7. While in the raised position, the engagement of the curved arm 48 of the locking member 44 with the plate 3| causes the arms 45 of the member 44 to be retracted and out of engagement with the trolley arm 63.

The trolley wheels 63 may be drawn upon track; 20 and track 20 may be then lowered. The catches are retracted by manual operation of the cha-in 53 and the motor 35 is set into operation to feed the cable 31 outwardly therefrom. This permits 4U the pulley 39 to move toward the tank Hi and the cables 43 move inwardly over the pulleys 33. As the structure 22 moves downwardly, the upper curved end 48 of the actuating arm 41 ceases to l engage the plate 3| and the locking member 44 swings inwardly to bring the arms 45 on each side of the trolley arm 63, thus locking it against movement in either direction.

The structure 22 is then lowered into the tank n I0 and allowed to remain in the bath of molten U0 wax for the desired period of time.

The bath mixture preferably comprises wax and oil, the wax being employed in suiiicient quantity to cause the nal product to set upon drying and the oil being used in sufficient quantity to serve as a lubricant while, at the same time, maintaining the Wax in a plastic condition. For example, good results have been obtained by using a mixture in which parafiin wax comprises from Gti-80% of the whole and oil comprises 65 from 20-40% thereof. Excellent results have been obtained by a wax and Oil mixture in which the paraiiin is approximately '10% and the oil is approximately 30% of the total.

I prefer to incorporate in the wax and oil mixture from 9-15% of a high melt peint microcrystalline wax. High melt wax may contain a small amount of petrolatum to render it plastic. When the high melt point wax just described is used, suitable proportions may be as follows:

parafiin, 60-| 55% oil, 20-30% and high melt wax 9-15 The above combination has a flash point over 400 F. and a re point over 500 F. The mixture of wax may be maintained at any suitable high temperature, but a satisfactory temperature range is 280-300 F.

I prefer to have the trolley tree with the trolleys and gambrels carried thereby left in the bath suiiiciently long to bring the temperature of the trolley substantially up to the temperature of the wax bath. When this is done, the coating becomes one of almost microscopic depth and is not scraped 01T when the fingernail is pressed along the surface of the coated trolley. Instead, the extremely thin coating tenaciously adheres to the body of the trolley and remains in position during use for long periods of time. Usually a period of five minutes or more is sufficient to bring the temperature of the trolley up to that of the bath, assuming that the temperature of the bath is from about 285-300 F'. When the temperature of the trolley is substantially below that of the bath, a thick coating is wformed upon the trolley and this tends to accumulate wax on the rails and makes the trolleys difficult to move along the rails.

After the dipping operation, the motor is set into operation and the hoist drum 36 causes, through the intermediate cables, the lifting of the structure 22. When the structure 22 reaches its upper position, as illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7, the curved end 48 of the actuating arm 41 strikes the plate 3| and causes the locking member 44 to swing to the outer position illustrated in Fig. 6. At the same time, the track connectors 2I join the track with the adjacent tracks I6 and Il. The trolley trees 62 are then moved to the track I'l so that they rest above the drip pan I2. Blasts of air from the fans I5 aid in cooling the coated structures. After the dripping has ceased, the tree of trolleys may be moved on to another section of rail for further drying. It usually takes about three-quarters of an hour to one hour for the coating to set during this drying operation depending upon the room temperature. After drying, the trolley trees may be moved along the rail to a point where the trolleys are to be used or they may be conveyed by trucks to special points for use.

As the structure 22 is being raised and approaches its topmost position, the beam 23 strikes the cam surface of the latch members 50 and presses them outwardly until the beam 23 has cleared them and then the latches 50 swing inwardly under the beam 23 to secure the structure against dropping should the cables break.

In the lowering operation, if the latches 50 should not have been manually withdrawn, the cable 31 will immediately become slack and this allows the control members 54 to swing forwardly under the influence of springs 58, and this releases the button of control member 59 to break the motor circuit.

LThe apparatus has resulted in the effective lubrication of trolleys and gambrels Without any spoilage of meat. There is a large saving of labor which before was required in the removal of oilspotted portions,v and a large saving in the product which, with the new apparatus, does not have to be trimmed. A

While in the foregoing specification, I have set forth in great detail specific apparatus for the purpose of illustrating the invention, it will be understood that such details'may be varied Widely by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. In combination with a pair of trolley tracks spaced apart, a movable track segment between said tracks and adapted to be aligned therewith in contiguous relation, a frame extending above said track segment and to the rear thereof, a pair of guide rods carried by said frame at a spaced distance from said track, sleeves engaging said guide rods, stabilizing arms connecting said sleeves to said track segment, and lift means guided by said frame above said track segment for applying vertical lifting force to said track segment.

2. In combination with a pair of trolley tracks spaced apart, a movable track segment between said tracks and adapted to be aligned therewith in contiguous relation, a frame extending above said track segment and to the rear thereof, a pair of guide rods carried by said frame at a spaced distance from said track, sleeves engaging said guide rods, stabilizing arms connecting said sleeves to said track segment, a plurality of pulleys supported by said frame above said track segment, cables extending about said pulleys and secured to said track segment, and power-driven ,drum means for effecting longitudinal movement -of said cables.

WILLIAM F. WEBER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 104,102 Berry June 14, 1870 386,743 Hedge July 24, 1888 647,242 Sprague Apr. 10, 1900 682,412 Hunt Sept. 10, 1901 738,270 Worcester Sept. 8, 1903 1,150,003 Focardi Aug. 10, 1915 1,382,149 Walker June 21, 1921 1,480,790 Stanley Jan. 15, 1924 1,612,217 Phillips Dec. 28, 1926 1,865,788 Raymond July 5, 1932 2,072,747 Freese Mar. 2, 1937 2,116,430 Gordon May 3, 1938 

